Canon Pellix QL (1966)

Name: Canon Pellix QL
Brand: Canon

At 755 grams, it sits solid in the hands. This is not a camera that hides what it is.

Overview

The Canon Pellix QL is a 1960s SLR, marketed from March 1966. It carried on from the original Pellix with a few refinements, most notably the QL - Quick Loading - film mechanism, which simplified threading and promised faster setup. The loading is not the interesting part. The mirror is. It was the first commercially produced SLR with a fixed pellicle mirror: a 20/1000mm-thin sheet of vapor-deposited Mylar film that split the light path, sending some to the viewfinder and some to the film plane. No mirror slap. No blackout. Just a continuous image, even at 1/1000th of a second.

Owners report the experience as uncanny. The exposure happens in real time, and the image dims slightly but never vanishes. The trade-off is a one-third stop loss in light transmission, because the mirror is semi-transparent. The TTL metering system, a zero-method CdS cell positioned just in front of the film plane, reads through this same beam-splitter. That gives accurate exposure readings without stop-down metering. It covered EV 1 to 18 at ASA 100 and f/1.4, with film speeds adjustable from ASA 25 to 2000. The meter's spot selection system focused on roughly one-ninth of the viewfinder area, outlined by a rectangle - early spot metering in a mechanical body. All of it depends on a single 1.3V mercury battery (type #625, MD), now long obsolete, so modern use needs an adapter.

The body is 144 x 91 x 43 mm of metal and glass, and weighs 755 grams without lens. The FL bayonet mount, with its three outer lugs, took the full range of Canon's FL-series preset aperture lenses, including the FL 50mm f/1.4 and the exotic FL 58mm f/1.2. The focusing screen combined a Fresnel lens with a central microprism rangefinder, giving sharp, bright images through the fixed pentaprism. Film advance used a 174° single-stroke lever that allowed partial winding, and the self-resetting counter removed the need to zero it by hand. Flash sync came via FP and X contacts with an automatic-switching German socket, which handled both bulbs and early electronic units.

Specifications

Manufacturer	Canon
Picture size	24x36mm
Lens Mount	FL mount (Bayonet mount with three outer lugs)
Viewfinder	Fixed Eye-level pentaprism. Waist-Level Viewer 2 can be attached. Pellicle mirror (20/1000mm ultra-thin film). 0.9x magnification (with FL 50mm), 90% vertical coverage, 93% horizontal coverage. Microprism rangefinder at center. Metering indicator, exposure match needle, and eyepiece shutter.
Focusing Screen	Fresnel lens with built-in microprism rangefinder.
Mirror	Stationary Canon Pellicle Mirror (half-transparent).
Compatible Lenses	Automatic preset aperture type FL series lenses.
Standard Lenses (examples)	FL 50mm f/1.8, FL 50mm f/1.4, FL 58mm f/1.2, FLP 38mm f/2.8.
Aperture Control	Fully automatic preset aperture.
Shutter	Horizontal-travel focal-plane shutter with cloth curtains. Speeds: 1/1000, 1/500, 1/250, 1/125, 1/60, 1/30, 1/15, 1/8, 1/4, 1/2, 1 sec, Bulb (B/T), X.
Self-timer	Built-in; lever also functions as a stop-down lever.
Built-in Exposure Meter	Through-the-lens-and-mirror (TTLM) spot-metering CdS cell. Zero-method type, coupled to shutter and aperture. Range: EV 1-18 (at ASA 100, f/1.4). Film speed range: ASA 25-2000 (DIN 15-34).
Battery	One 1.3V mercury battery (type #625, MD).
Low-Light Metering (with Booster accessory)	Using ASA 100 film, EV 1.5 to EV -4.5 can be measured.
Flash Synchronization	FP and X contacts (automatic-switching). German socket.
Film Rewinding	Via rewind button and camera-top crank.
Film Advance Lever	Single-stroke 174° lever (partial strokes possible). Ready position at 21°.
Film Loading	Quick Loading (QL) mechanism. Auto-loads after back is closed.
Film Counter	Self-resetting type.
Dimensions	144 x 91 x 43 mm (body)
Weight	755 grams (body only).

Key Features

Fixed Pellicle Mirror (20/1000mm Mylar)

The Pellix QL's stationary pellicle mirror was a semi-transparent film beam-splitter just 20/1000mm thick. In a conventional SLR the mirror flips up during exposure. This one stayed put, so there was no viewfinder blackout, which helps when tracking action or composing at the moment of exposure. The mirror directed approximately 70% of the light to the viewfinder and 30% to the film, a consistent one-third stop light loss. That demanded slightly more from the lens or film speed. Collectors note that over decades these ultra-thin Mylar films can degrade, with clouding, delaminating or pinholes, but well-preserved examples still deliver clean, bright images.

Through-the-Lens-and-Mirror (TTLM) Spot Metering

The CdS meter was TTL, and the page's own term for it is TTLM: it measured light after it passed through the pellicle mirror, so it accounted for the actual light loss in the system. Positioned in front of the film plane, it gave accurate exposure readings without requiring the lens to stop down. The zero-method system used a needle in the viewfinder that the user matched by adjusting shutter speed or aperture. The meter covered only about one-ninth of the viewfinder area, which made this one of the earliest production SLRs with spot metering capability. The cost was the mercury battery (#625, MD), which is no longer manufactured. Modern users must substitute adapters and alternative batteries, which can affect meter accuracy unless calibrated.

Quick Loading (QL) Film Mechanism

The "QL" in Pellix QL was a real usability upgrade. With the Quick Loading system the user dropped the film cartridge into the chamber, closed the back, and the camera advanced the leader to the take-up spool. No fumbling with sprockets or manual threading. After closing the back, a single stroke of the advance lever engaged the mechanism and the film was ready to shoot. This was a significant improvement over the original Pellix and matched contemporaries who were streamlining film handling. The system worked reliably when maintained. Some owners report film advance hesitation in neglected examples, often due to dried lubricants in the transport mechanism.

FL Bayonet Mount with Preset Aperture Control

The FL mount, with its three outer lugs, was Canon's second-generation SLR lens interface, designed for full-aperture viewing and preset aperture operation. Lenses like the FL 50mm f/1.4 or the rare FL 58mm f/1.2 could be focused wide open for brightness, then manually "preset" to the shooting aperture before exposure. That was a step short of full open-aperture metering automation, but more convenient than stop-down systems. The mount's mechanical simplicity means FL lenses still mount on modern Canon bodies with adapters, though without electronic communication. The Pellix QL's reliance on FL-series optics defined its ecosystem and limited access to later FD lenses without modification.

Historical Context

The Pellix QL appeared in 1966 as an evolution of the original Pellix, which had debuted the year before. It was Canon's first 35mm SLR with both a focal-plane shutter and TTL metering, and the first production SLR to use a fixed pellicle mirror. Despite its technical sophistication, it was reportedly a commercial failure - "ce fut un échec commercial," as one French source noted. The complexity, cost and niche appeal likely contributed. Its design and layout strongly influenced the Canon FT QL (1966) and Canon TL (1968), which share nearly identical body shells and controls. The pellicle mirror concept would resurface decades later in Canon's professional EOS-1N RS.

Collectibility & Value

Today the Canon Pellix QL is a collectible curiosity. It didn't catch on commercially, but it interests engineers and historians. The body alone typically trades between $20 and $60, depending on condition, while complete kits with lenses like the FL 50mm f/1.8 or f/1.4 range from $90 to $160. The Canon Meter Booster, an accessory that extended low-light metering down to EV -4.5 and expanded film speed range to ASA 12,800, is considered rare and can command a premium. Functional issues are not uncommon. Shutter blades sticking at 1/250s or faster are frequently attributed to dried lubrication or misalignment, and the pellicle mirror itself is vulnerable to long-term degradation. Servicing requires specialized knowledge and spare parts are scarce, which makes fully operational examples more valuable.